《微专题 小练习》 英语 新高考 练习13 阅读理解+读后续写

练习13阅读理解＋读后续写
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A
meaning, showing that they have a primitive grasp of the concept of zero, according to a newly­published study in Science.
Previous experiments have shown that honeybees have some facility for numbers, because they were able to count landmarks (地标) as they searched around for a sweet reward. But in these tests, the insects couldn't count very high—only to about four. Still, that made researchers in Australia and France want to explore what else the bees could do with numbers.
Scarlett Howard at RMIT University in Melbourne attracted bees to a wall where they were presented with two square cards. Each card had a different number of black symbols, such as dots or triangles. Howard trained one group of bees to understand that sugar water would always be located under the card with the least number of symbols. “They could come and see two circles versus (与……相对) three circles, or four triangles versus one triangle，” she explains. The bees quickly learned to fly to the card with the fewest symbols.
But then they got another test. The researchers presented the bees with a card that had a single symbol and a blank card. The bees seemed to understand that “zero” was less than one, because they flew toward the blank card more often than expected if they were choosing at random. “When we showed them zero versus six, they did that at a much higher level than zero versus one，” Howard says. “So what that tells us is that they consider zero as an actual quantity along the number line.”
Aurore Avarguès­Weber, a researcher from the University of Toulouse, points out even very young children have trouble understanding that zero is a number. “It's easy for them to count one, two, three, four, but zero, it's not something to count，” she explains. What's more, the brains of bees are incredibly tiny brains compared with the brains of humans, scientist Nieder notes. Even so, the bees can understand the abstract concept of an empty set and he says he found that very surprising.
1．What did the earlier studies find about bees?
A．They could fly higher than expected.
B．They could understand some numbers.
C．They could remember a reward well.
D．They could explore local landmarks.
2．What did bees learn to do in Howard's first test?
A．Distinguish circles from triangles.
B．Draw various symbols on the cards.
C．Identify the smaller of the two numbers.
D．Locate sugar water with symbol shapes.
3．Why did bees fly to the blank card more frequently?
A.They were told the location of the reward.
B．They chose to do it thoroughly by chance.
C．They preferred the card with nothing on it.
D．They thought of zero as an actual number.
4．Why are young children mentioned in the last paragraph?
A．To argue that bees have a surprising memory.
B.To show that bees' gifts for numbers are amazing.
C.To explain that bees learn as well as young children.
D.To confirm that bees are smarter than young children.
B
In August, Jason M. Allen's piece “Théatre D'opéra Spatial”—which he created with AI image generator Midjourney—won first place in the emerging artist division's “digital arts photography” category at the Colorado State Fair Fine Arts Competition. The definition for the category states that digital art refers to works that use “digital technology as part of the creative process”．
Allen's award­winning image has led to debates about what, exactly, it means to be an artist and whether AI can truly make art. “It feels bad for the exact same reason we don't let robots participate in the Olympics，” one netizen wrote. “This is the literal definition of pressing a few buttons to make a digital art ‘piece’，” another wrote.
Yet while Allen didn't use a paintbrush, there was plenty of work involved. First, Allen played around with phrasing that led Midjourney to generate images of women in elegant dresses and space helmets, in an attempt to mix Victorian­style costuming with space themes. Over time, with many slight changes to his written prompt (提示符), he created 900 different versions of what led to his final image. Then he improved its resolution through Gigapixel AI and finally had the images printed.
Allen is glad the debate over whether AI can be used to make art is attracting so much attention. “Rather than hating on the technology, we need to recognize that it's a powerful tool and use it for good so we can all move forward，” Allen said.
Cal Duran, one of the judges for the competition, said that while Allen's piece included a mention of AI, he didn't realize that when judging it. Still, he stuck by his decision to award it first place. “I think the AI technology may give more opportunities to people who may not find themselves artists in the conventional way，” he said.
5．Why has Allen's work led to debates?
A．It was a copy of a photograph.
B．He challenged the older artists.
C．It was created with the help of AI.
D．He broke the rule of the competition.
6．What can best describe Allen's creating process?
A．Cooperative.
B．Energy­consuming.
C．Straightforward.
D．Imagination­lacking.
7．What can we learn about AI from the last paragraph?
A．It is a double­edged sword.
B．It attracts conventional artists.
C．It strikes art judges as no surprise.
D．It may open a new world to artists.
8．What is the text mainly about?
A．A trend to be AI artists.
B．An AI­generated art contest.
C．Responses to a winning AI artwork.
D．Curiosity about an image generator.
Ⅱ.读后续写
[2023·昆明市高三质量检测]阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The first time we set eyes on the “Big Red”，Dad, Mom and I were on our way home. As we passed the Eaton's department store's window, we stopped as usual to have a look and buy something that we wanted.
The beautifully decorated window display held the best toys ever. There were dolls much too pretty to play with. And they all lay beneath a surprisingly fantastic dress. Mom's eyes were glued to its shining red satin(缎子).
“My goodness，” she whispered. “Look at that！” Then, Mom looked down at her own coat—she had worn the heavy grey wool coat every winter for as long as I could remember. Mom was forever doing chores—doing laundry, tending the pigs and working in the garden— so she always wore housedresses and an apron (围裙) to protect the front. Also, she managed to make almost all of our clothes. They weren't fancy, but they were comfortable.
“What a silly dress！”She shook her head. “Who on earth would want such a big dress？”As we continued down the street, Mom turned her head for one more look. “My goodness! You'd think they'd display something a person could use！”
Mother's Day was nearing, and the red dress was soon forgotten. Mother, of all people, was not one to spend money on items that were not practical. “There are things we need more than this.” She'd always say. Choosing a gift for Mother's Day for her was quite hard. When Dad and I asked, she thought carefully and then asked for some tea towels, facecloths or a new basin.
On our last trip to town before Mother's Day, we were driving up Main Street when Mom suddenly shouted in surprise: “Look！” She pointed excitedly as Dad drove past Eaton's. “That big red dress is gone，” she said in disbelief. “Who'd be fool enough to buy such a dress？”Mom questioned, shaking her head. I was almost certain that I noticed a trace of longing (一点渴望) in her voice.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式作答。

On the morning of Mother's Day, Mom got a large box that read “Eaton's Finest Basin” on its wrapping
paper.________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________“Oh Frank...” She choked up and couldn't say a word, tears welling up in her eyes.________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________。